New cruise ships could attract more holidaymakers

New luxury cruise ships could revive interest in holidays at sea, according to Adam Goldstein, president and chief executive of Royal Caribbean Cruises.

The executive, who is about to witness the launch of the company's Oasis of the Seas luxury cruise ship in the middle of the harsh economic climate, is optimistic that the vessel will see better times, reports the Times.

Making its debut in December, the ship, which has taken more than five years to build at a cost of more than £800 million and weighs 220,000 tonnes, will be the largest cruise ship in the world.

According to Mr Goldstein, the downturn has been tough on the company's revenue but new ships such as Oasis of the Seas, which has been "a good news story" for the firm, could turn things around.

He is quoted by the Times as saying: "She has been five and a half years in the making and is built to last 30 or 40 years, so she's going to have to survive a few economic cycles. Though hopefully there wont be another one like this."

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